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Some shirts tell a story at first glance.
To me, certain fabrics remind me of travels, vacations with friends, sunshine, long summer evenings... It's this spirit that we wanted to infuse into our new line of spring and summer shirts, with a wide variety of fabrics, patterns, colors and textures. So you'll always have a touch of elegance, even in the most relaxed moments that will punctuate this spring/summer season.
On the menu today: chambray, stripes, patterns and mangoes (yes, I'm talking about the fruit), for stylish days in the sun.
The Calvi shirt: two stripes, two textures (by Benoît)
Let's start withvone of my favorite fabrics of the season, straight from Italy.
Weighing 118g/m2, it's a fresh, light fabric whose beauty lies in the alternation of two colors, and therefore two textures:
- pale sage/olive-green stripes, with a waffle/seersucker and airy texture
- which alternate with white stripes, which feature a slightly open poplin-like weave.
The result is a light, breathable fabric with a soft, smooth hand, perfect for a summer shirt.
You'll see that the alternation of these two colors and textures gives a lot of charm, truly the definition of a summer fabric for sunny days.
And as usual on our Calvi shirts, there's the usual button-down collar and rounded chest pocket.
The Royan shirt, or our interpretation of the guayabera (by David)
Intriguing shape, isn't it?
4 chest pockets, 2 top and 2 bottom.
No, it's not a variation on a military jungle jacket or M-65.
Our new Royan shirt is actually inspired by the guayabera, the emblematic shirt worn in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The "guaya" what?
Less well known in the West, it is said to have originated in the mid-18th century, in the province of Sancti Spiritus, in central Cuba. One day, a potter asked his wife to sew him a shirt. She added 4 pockets to the piece, so that her husband could store his work tools.
The husband liked the shirt so much that he started wearing it in town, attracting the attention of the other villagers, who in turn asked the potter's wife to sew them similar shirts.
In particular, the shirt's practicality and elegance aroused the interest of local guava growers (the " guayaberos "), who began wearing it and filling their pockets with the guavas they grew.
There are also records from the XIXᵉ century indicating that the shape of the guayabera would have been influenced by the uniforms of Spanish and Cuban soldiers of the time, whose shirts featured four patch pockets in front.
(Yes, this shirt might have military influences after all).
In relation to the characteristic pleats on this piece, they are called "alforzas" and it is said that initially they served to strengthen the garment and give it a slight elasticity.
Over the course of the XXᵉ century, the guayabera became more accessible and gained in popularity: it made its mark and was seen being worn by workers and politicians alike. Eventually, it was exported, and has been worn by such celebrities as Ernest Hemingway, Robert De Niro and Gary Cooper.
This season, we offer you our interpretation of the guayabera, with its 4 visual and practical pockets, its Cuban collar that smells of vacation and its long sleeves, which can be rolled up at will. You'll also find two side slits for comfort and relaxation. We've omitted the pleats to give it a more streamlined shape.
And of course, as usual, we wanted to dress this shirt in a singular, charming fabric.
Our product team found a captivating fabric in a soft, organic beige, with a discreet grid pattern of fine green lines. It evokes the delicacy of graph paper, which I'm sure you used in art class at school.
It's not identical, but this fabric reminds me a little of the houndstooth flannel of our beige Volpaia shirt from last winter, which many (myself included) appreciated.
And to add even more grain and life to the Royan, the fabric blends 56% cotton for softness and hold, with 44% linen for freshness and the slight natural irregularities that materialize the little cotton "neps" that stand out on the surface.
Nowhere is this kind of visually rich fabric found more than in Japan, and more precisely at Shuttle Notes, a confidential weaver who, for over 70 years, has been creating uniquely textured fabrics on traditional shuttle looms at its factory in Nishiwaki.
How to wear the Royan?
Its hybrid shape places it halfway between a shirt, an overshirt and a light jacket.
So, depending on your morning mood, you can wear it :
- As a shirt, directly against the skin,
- As an overshirt, over a t-shirt or tank top,
- As a light jacket, over a shirt or polo,
- And to go even further, you can even layering over it, adding a raincoat or light parka, for example.
Two Bidart shirts to brighten up your summer
Our Bidart short-sleeved shirt with Cuban collar returns this season in two Portuguese fabrics, each with its own story to tell.
A fancy stripe model (by Benoît)
Here's a shirt in a fabric with a little more fun. It's made up of two elements:
- the geometric stripes, subtly framed by a green border.
- and blue chambray, which balances the whole, and is a nod to our historic taste for chambray,
As for the inspiration behind the geometric patterns, it's very diverse, and celebrates the cultural richness of many populations, as these designs can be found in many cultures around the world.
Indeed, geometric shapes can be found in Native American, Mediterranean and even Eastern and Northern European cultures!
It's a 100% cotton fabric woven and made in Portugal.
Wear with our ecru Poetto pants and natural-colored Nazare sneakers for a pretty harmony of summer hues.
A luminous model with a well-hidden texture (by David)
This is a white shirt with blue stripes.
And you have to get up close to it to fully grasp its richness. For once, there's actually a double texture here.
On a bright white base, you'll find a slightly airy (but not transparent) weave that's breathable and resolutely summery in spirit.
And on the blue stripes, you'll find a herringbone pattern with a zigzag pattern, with alternating diagonal lines.
This duo of contrasting textures and colors lends richness and visual depth to this piece, compared to a flatter, smoother material.
But that's not all. This fabric is also a blend of :
- 52% linen, for freshness, breathability and also the natural impurities of its fiber that come out during weaving. By the way, this linen is grown in France and certified Masters of Linen, which guarantees 100% European traceability of the fiber (cultivation, spinning, weaving, dyeing).
- 48% cotton for softness and hold
All that's left to do is wear this shirt with shorts and espadrilles by the water, or with pants and a jacket in an urban setting.
The famous pink Camargue shirt (by Benoît)
Note: at the time of publication of this article, the shirt is not yet available. It should be available around the end of May. Thank you for your patience, and now it's time for the presentation. :)
A teaser for a shirt that's been getting a lot of attention on our networks: here's our pink western shirt (Camargue model).
This time, she's dressed in a sublime pink denim woven in Italy, with a very particular and uncommon hand... This denim is at once soft, fluid, and with irregularities in the weave, as the Japanese like to do.
It has the drape of an Italian fabric with the slub of a Japanese one. It comes from weaver Luigi Parisotto, a very high-end supplier. It's woven on mechanical looms that are over 30 years old, which is why this fabric is more expensive than our other shirt fabrics (almost 2x more expensive).
In short, it's rare for me to appreciate pink fabrics, but here, I fell in love!
The collar has been slightly reworked, with a more pronounced rounding to make it sit even better.
And once again with the western shirt, don't hesitate to wear it with a blazer, dress pants and loafers!
The sky-blue Arles shirt, for the love of chambray (by David)
We love chambray shirts.
The very first Bonnegueule capsule, in 2014, featured one.
We're continuing to offer them because we still love their distinctive grain, made up of one colored and one ecru thread, which sets them apart and makes them a good alternative to denim or oxford shirts.
And we love it even more when this chambray is Japanese, with rich texture and slight irregularities. As with the Royan shirt shown above, the material here comes from confidential Japanese weaver Shuttle Notes and its 70 years of experience in creating fabrics on vintage machines.
We've applied this blue fabric, like the bright summer sky, to our Arles shape:
- Its stand-up collar adds variety to your shirt rotation, and a relaxed feel in comparison to more traditional collars,
- Its comfortable, slightly straight cut means it can be worn next to the skin or layered over a t-shirt or tank top.
This shirt can be worn tucked in or out of pants, closed or open.
And if you've got a casual wedding coming up that doesn't require a tie, this shirt will also fit in well with a nice suit and polished loafers.
One more thing: the Benton sage and multicolored Calvi shirt (by David)
We end our presentation of casual shirts with a reminder of what we released a few weeks ago:
- The workwear-inspired Benton sage shirt,
- as well as the multicolored Calvi, which represents our interpretation of the American fun shirt.
These two shirts were presented in greater detail in this article.
They were part of our latest shoot and enjoyed the Mediterranean sunshine:
